PLAGIOLIRION 



THE BULB BOOK 



POLIAXTHES 



linear leaves lj ft. long, and white as many or twice as many as the 



flowers striped with bright red (III. 

 Hart. t. 574). 



P. ornata. This has ovoid bulbs 

 about 1 in. thick, two narrow leaves, 

 and peduncles about 6 to 9 ins. high, 

 bearing four to six white flowers 

 conspicuously striped with reddish- 

 purple, the segments being distinctly 

 clawed (Hot. Reg. 27, t. 50). 



PLAGIOLIRION (playios, oblique; 

 leirion, a lily; the flowers being 

 oblique). Nat. Ord. Amaryllideae. 

 A genus containing only one species 



P. Horsmanni. A native of the 

 Columbian Andes whence it was 

 introduced by the late F. Horsman, 

 of Colchester, in 1883. The brown- 

 coated roundish bulbs are about Ij 

 ins. thick, and the oblong acute 

 leaves (which are developed after the 

 flowers) are 8 to 9 ins. long, and 3 to 

 4 ins. broad, having a stalk 6 ins. 

 or more long. The white oblique 

 flowers are borne in umbels on stalks 

 from 6 to 12 ins. high in the summer 

 months. 



This is still a rare bulbous plant. 

 It may be grown without difficulty in 

 pots or borders, in the stove or warm 

 greenhouse, in a compost of rich 

 sandy loam with a little leaf-mould 

 or old cow-manure. Increased by 

 offsets. 



PODOPHYLLUM (podos, foot ; 

 phyllon, leaf; in allusion to the 

 imagined resemblance of the leaves 

 to the feet of certain animals), DUCK'S 

 FOOT, MAY APPLE. Nat. Ord. Berberi- 

 dese. A small genus of hardy 

 perennial herbs with creeping root- 

 stocks and thickish roots. The 

 peltate leaves are palmately nerved 

 and lobed, one or two on a stem. 

 The flowers are white and drooping, 

 have six petal-like sepals ; six to 

 nine larger petals, and free stamens 



petals 



The species mentioned below all 

 flourish in moist peaty soil in warm 

 sheltered spots, slightly shaded from 

 the sun during the hottest part of 

 the day. They are easily increased 

 by dividing the root-stocks in autumn 

 or in spring ; or seeds may be sown 

 when ripe in pots or pans, and 

 sheltered in a cold frame. 



P. Emocii. A Himalayan plant 

 6 to 12 ins. high, with three to five- 

 lobed leaves 6 to 10 ins. across, the 

 lobes being wedge-shaped, sharply 

 toothed, the whole surface being 

 heavily spotted or washed with 

 purple. Flowers in May white, about 

 2 ins. across, succeeded in due course 

 by elliptic edible berries 1 to 2 ins. 

 long. 



P. pelt at um. Known as the N. 

 American Mandrake, this species 

 grows 6 to 12 ins. high, and has 

 poisonous root-stocks and leaves 

 the latter being glossy green, wrinkled 

 and divided into five to nine sharply- 

 toothed lobes. The wavy Avhite 

 flowers 2 ins. or more across appear 

 in May, and are succeeded by green 

 crab-like edible fruits 1 to 2 ins. long, 

 assuming a yellowish tint when ripe. 

 (Hot. Mag. t. 1819.) 



P. pleianthum. A distinct Chinese 

 species 1 to 2 ft. high, with roundish 

 peltate leaves divided into six to 

 eight toothed lobes. The purple 

 flowers are drooping and are suc- 

 ceeded by blue-green berries which 

 are purple when ripe. 



POLIANTHES (jmlis, a city ; anthos, 

 a flower), TUBEROSE. Nat. Ord. 

 Amaryllidese. There is only one 

 species in this genus, namely : 



P. tuberosa. A beautiful Mexican 

 plant, having a bulb-like tuberous 

 root-stock covered with the broadened 

 bases of the old leaves. These are 



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